Organization of Information

Transcription

1 1 College of Information Studies University of Maryland Organization of Information Syllabus for LBSC 670 Online Course Fall 2011 Developed by Prof. T. Kanti Srikantaiah, Ph.D. Phone:

2 CATALOG DESCRIPTION Knowledge analysis and representation; information presentation and assimilation; bibliographic and record control. Extended Description Instead of focusing on specific skills (e.g.,, cataloging), this course aims to convey a fundamental foundation for understanding how information is represented and organized to enable efficient and easy access. The course will not create full knowledge but rather an awareness and vision of information systems in the rapidly changing information world. The course also serves as the basis for advanced work in other courses (LBSC 770, LBSC 772, LBSC 773, LBSC 774, LBSC 775). Information structure in various information systems will be introduced, including traditional paper libraries, digital libraries, and the World Wide Web. The main topics of the course are the nature of information and knowledge; metadata (bibliographic records, MARC, etc.); classification; vocabulary control; full text searching; XML; and, others. COURSE GOALS and OBJECTIVES The Goal and Objective of the course is to provide, through an integrated approach, an overview of principles, systems, techniques and tools in the organization of information and to prepare each student to understand user needs in different information environments. Specifically, at the end of the course each student will: Describe the principles, systems and methods of organizing knowledge from the perspective of information access and retrieval by using, analyzing and interpreting them effectively; Understand primary conceptual and representational structures that organize information and understand the browsing and searching processes those structures support; Understand basic procedures for structuring data and documents in paper libraries, digital libraries, and online search systems; Demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences in the purposes and systems of distinguishing, describing, and indexing intellectual works to meet the needs of users in various environments; 2

3 Demonstrate effectively an awareness of current standards and also an awareness of areas in which there are no standards, by analyzing and evaluating existing information when a number of standard organizing tools are used and interpreted; Describe and critique various schemes and techniques currently used to organize information in different environments by defining and using correctly terminology commonly used; Analyze the impact of technological innovations in organizing information; and, Analyze and suggest appropriate approaches of organizing knowledge in given realworld use situations by interpreting appropriate principles and methods and by articulating a philosophy. ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING The assignments cover several areas. While the core reading of the assigned chapters from the textbook for each meeting is mandatory, additional readings relevant to the topic under discussion are also required. These readings will be assigned as required. Each student is expected to complete several written assignments and submit completed assignments on time. The final test will cover textbook readings and all assignments discussed and completed in the course. The final grade will be determined on the basis of several written assignments, classroom participation, a mid-term examination and a final examination. Exercises must be turned in on the agreed schedule. The breakdown of evaluation is as follows: Participation on Discussion Board Written assignments Mid-term examination Final examination 20 points 30 points 25 points 25 points TEXTBOOK 1. Taylor, Arlene G. and Daniel N. Joudrey. The Organization of Information. 3 rd ed. Englewood, Colo., Libraries Unlimited, (ISBN: (pbk.)) OTHER READINGS AND USEFUL WEBSITES : 3

4 Relevant readings and websites will be posted on Blackboard. LBSC 670: CLASS SCHEDULE WEEKS DATES TOPICS 1 INTRODUCTION Review of syllabus Conceptual framework for organizing knowledge: concepts, definitions, principles of bibliographic systems INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT & BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD Historical context and evolution Organization of knowledge in library and non-library environments New trends in bibliographic description General Discussion 2 June 6 INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT & BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD (Contd) Data elements in bibliographic records Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom Electronic formats User needs Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 1 Organization of Recorded Information ASSIGNMENT #1: BIBLIOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION EXERCISE DUE ON June 13 3 June 8 RETRIEVAL TOOLS: METADATA Descriptive cataloging principles Rules for descriptive cataloging AACR2R and amendments Others Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 2 Retrieval Tools 4 June 13 RETRIEVAL TOOLS (contd.) MACHINE READABLE CATALOGING (MARC) OCLC and Others. Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 3 Development of the Organization of Recorded Information in Western Civilization 4

5 WEEKS DATES TOPICS 5 June 15 RETRIEVAL TOOLS: (contd) Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 4 Metadata Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 7 Metadata: Description Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 8 Metadata: Access and Authority Control Assignment # 1 review 6 June 20 Mid-Term Classification Systems General Principles LCC DDC UDC Others Call numbers and Cutter numbers ASSIGNMENT #2: CLASSIFICATION EXERCISE DUE ON JUNE 27 Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 11 Systems for Categorization 7 June 22 Subject Cataloging Subject cataloging principles Sears LCSH Others Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 9 Subject Analysis. Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 10 Systems for Vocabulary Control 8 June 27 FILING PRINCIPLES General filing schema Library information systems Non-library information systems Manual filing vs. electronic filing Display characteristics Taylor and Joudrey: Chapter 6 Systems and System Design Assignment # 2 submission ASSIGNMENT #3: SUBJECT HEADINGS EXERCISE DUE ON July 6 5

6 WEEKS DATES TOPICS 9 June 29 INFORMATION IN ELECTRONIC ENVIRONMENTS The Internet/Intranet HTML/SGML Others INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN : Primary and secondary information products Citation systems National and international standards User needs assessment Training 10 July 6 Assignment # 3 submission and Review FINAL EXAM 6